I was bored to tears last night and created this silly video in response to the panic in light of the proposed assault rifle ban. It’s hilarious to me that a proposed ban on AK-47s and the like can so quickly and, actually, effectively, be twisted into, “Oh my God!” “They’re disarming us!”

I’ve decided that I’ll begin blogging again. Writing is really therapeutic and I can use all the help I can get right now! After having worked only for myself for years, I’m back in the corporate world and readjusting gradually. Since my last blog post, an age ago, I’m also back in Northeastern Ohio from Hampton Roads, Virginia. Zorro the Dog had to be left behind with my sweet friend, Brian, and I have two demon-possessed cats, which provide entertainment for my Facebook friends, but which provide me with more frustration than anything else. In the coming days, I’ll be sharing stories with you about all of these things and about my restoration of faith, being elected and ordained as a Deacon at my church and the challenges of the trailer park. Hahahaha! I sure hope you’ll follow along.

This morning, I came out of the bedroom to find that the cats have figured out the latch on the garbage can lid. I had roast chicken for dinner last night. So my first job this morning was to retrieve chicken bones from throughout the house. The search for any that may have been stashed will have to wait for the weekend. Damned cats!

Check out my friend Tristan’s blog at Dare To Dream and have a look at Rod’s video about Warren, Ohio. Warren is a charming little city near Youngstown in eastern Ohio with a lot of history and once a manufacturing mecca. Alas, the jobs are gone and the city is plagued with numerous issues, like so many northern cities. Some problems are difficult to solve, but the problem of litter and generally trashing our cities is one that we can all work to alleviate if we can just snap ourselves out of the doldrums and make ourselves care enough to do it.

I’m blessed with having health care coverage that is very comprehensive, a wonderful physician, and fairly good health. For the past several weeks, however, I’ve struggled to be rid of a rotten sinus infection, which ultimately resulted in my needing to pay out-of-pocket (long story) for an antibiotic called Levaquin. Five, 500 mg. tablets were $84.00. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the pharmacist told me the amount.

All that I could think about on my way home from the pharmacy were the times when I had no prescription coverage and would have needed a couple of weeks to save that amount of money. There have been many such times in my life the explanation for which would bore the reader, but there are countless millions in our country currently in that very position. What will happen with them this spring when they get a tough sinus infection?

I will be supporting President Obama’s health care reform legislation to the extent that the end result will be universal coverage. Nobody should have to choose Levaquin over groceries!

Several horses and more than 70 Golden Retrievers were rescued from a Zuni farm in Isle of Wight County near me here in Virginia. According to the news reports and the rescue organization involved, the animals were living in deplorable conditions. At least one of the dogs lost part of its feet and tail due to frostbite. Several of the dogs were pregnant and one has given birth to 10 puppies since being rescued. Sadly, one of the puppies has a birth defect, but the other 9 seem healthy. The folks involved in rescuing these dogs really need some help. I’m sure you can imagine the veterinary expenses, spaying and neutering and the necessities for daily living are not inexpensive. I’d like to ask anyone who is able to donate. You can do so using PayPal at Rescue Organization. If you are not able to donate, please join my cause on Facebook so that any of your online friends who may be able to donate will know how. You can click on this link to join the cause – SAVE THE ISLE OF WIGHT GOLDENS – .

Welcome to Mike’s Musings! What’s on my mind today is the “Economic Recovery Bill” currently in the US Senate. I’m a staunch, long-standing, left-leaning Democrat. In spite of that, I’m a tad worried about this bill and find myself agreeing with some of the Republican criticism.

While I feel that all of the proposed spending in the bill is necessary and important, including the two items which were removed from the first announced version of the bill to appease its critics; namely, the funding for Medicaid recipients to receive contraceptives and the work on the National Mall, I’m glad that those items were removed and I think some of the remaining proposed spending needs to be redirected. I say this not because I don’t believe that these are necessary and worthwhile expenditures, but because they are not in keeping with the stated purpose of the bill. This bill is purported to be about stimulating the economy and creating jobs. It’s a stretch to maintain that the massive amount of money, for example, that will go the National Endowment for the Arts will provide any economic stimulus.

While I am opposed to any additional tax cuts (as an economic stimulus), I do agree with the Repugnicans that the massive spending is misguided and not likely to result in the desired stimulative effect. Better, I think to redirect those questionable expenditures to “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects. If the stimulus package succeeds, there will be ample opportunity to fund these other very worthwhile programs in separate bills where they make sense. If the bill, as it is, passes and does not have the desired effect, we might be in big trouble come 2010 and there goes any opportunity to fix the rest of what’s broken.